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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23474080">Shelter</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/akgerhardt/pseuds/akgerhardt'>akgerhardt</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SFW [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Homestuck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Comfort, M/M, PTSD, Panic Attacks, [insert quote from mother mother's "calm me down"], back at it again projecting as jake, soul vore i fucking guess</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:47:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>485</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23474080</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/akgerhardt/pseuds/akgerhardt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake introduced Dirk to the magic known as actually sleeping, then proceeded to develop night terrors. Dirk uses his Heart Powers to invoreporate a creative solution, because what the fuck else is he going to do.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jake English/Dirk Strider</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SFW [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1277960</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Shelter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He wakes to the absence of Jake but doesn't think much of it until he picks up on the telltale rapid, shallow breaths from down the hall. Realization rouses him to alertness, and he clambers out of bed, stumbling towards the sound.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>       Goddammit, not again... </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He approaches his tightly wound form, taking care to be slow and audible. The dude is practically clawing at himself in a state of trapped panic, curled up and head hidden with his knees to his chest in the corner. He's shaking worse than a fucking chihuahua as he tries to make himself as small and nonexistent as possible, gripping his shoulders with white knuckles. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It's one of those nights. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      "... Hey."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake is predictably past words, but he manages an intentful wheeze after a couple seconds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      "I'm, uh. I'll just go ahead and do my thing." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He waits for the nod, then gently separates his essence, freeing it from physicality. His body slumps against the wall as the bright, flickering glow of his soul calms between Dirk's cupped palms. Dirk encompasses it within his own for safekeeping and scoops up the comatose shell at his feet. He carries it back to bed, drying the tears and tucking it in like a granny before joining it. He rests a hand above his heart with a soft sigh, closing his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a while, he just lays in silence, keeping his breathing level. His heart beats steadily, radiating a grounding comfort. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, he speaks. A quiet murmur in the dark, warm and stable.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      "You're safe. It's over. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>       Just let go; I have you. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>       I'll never let anything hurt you."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He holds him like that through the night, and when dawn inevitably comes, Jake rises with the sun, swirls of golden white wisping out and settling back at their origin. Dirk is still asleep, but Jake scoots closer upon recomposing, clinging to him and burying his face in his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," he mumbles, embarrassed and muffled. After a moment, long fingers ruffle his hair clumsily, followed by a smooch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      "Fuckin'... bitchslap me awake or somethin' instead of runnin' off... Always ends this way; dunno why you bother gettin' up…" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not right to interrupt a fellow's snooze. I should be capable of handling this myself by now." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       "It's ok to ask for help. S'not some kinda codependency schtick." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But… It strikes me as rude to whap you across the face with my dirty laundry."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>       "Maybe I felt like doing a midnight laundromat run… Point is, I'm a lazy shit when I'm tired, Jake. You should know that by now... Spent too long missin' out on these solid unconsciousness sessions, so I'm makin' up for lost hours… Just… save us both the effort and wake me next time." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ok, fine… It's just so childish and pathetic of-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      "Shhh. Save it for Therapy Thursday."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry… Heh. Thank you." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       "Welcome, times two combob. Now sleeb." </span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Howdy, brain machine broke and this is first thing I've posted in three months. Naturally it's short as hell and unedited, but I'm hoping to finish up all of the bullshit I have in the works and provide for the handful of y'all who somehow like my esoteric content 💚</p></blockquote></div></div>
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